ATLANTA – The 17-year-old student accused of shooting five people near Therrell High School in southwest Atlanta had his first court appearance Wednesday morning.

Marcellus Brooks is charged with shooting five people near the campus of Therrell High School in southwest Atlanta. The suspect, 17, is a sophomore at the school.

Marcellus Brooks, a 10th grader at Therrell High, was in Fulton County court at 11 a.m. He is being tried as an adult and is charged with five counts of aggravating assault in connection with a shooting that occurred Tuesday afternoon.

Atlanta Public Schools said that five people were shot near Panther Trail and Childress Drive. They were all transported to Grady Memorial Hospital.

As of Wednesday afternoon, four of the victims remained hospitalized. According to Grady Hospital officials, one patient's condition had worsened and he was listed in critical condition. Another patient was slated to be discharged on Wednesday evening, while the remaining two are listed in stable condition and are expected to be in the hospital through Thursday.

The shooting incident did not happen on school property, but the building was placed on lockdown for students who participated in after-school programs.

Four of the shooting victims were students, according to Major Keith Meadows of the Atlanta Police Department. Four of the victims were shot in the lower extremities; one was shot in the chest, Meadows said. The victims were identified by police as Lamarcritus Wilson, 20; Domonic Clark, 17; Trevion Morgan, 18; Tekevious Redding, 17; Morgan Evans, 15.

Jail records show Brooks was also arrested in April by the MARTA Police Department for felony robbery. He was released after 15 days.

Investigators have not yet established a motive behind the shooting.

Additional security was on hand at Therrell High Wednesday. School officials said that as a precaution, students are not permitted to carry backpacks or book bags for the remaining portion of the school year.

Atlanta Public School officials released a statement late Tuesday:

Atlanta Public Schools (APS) can confirm that four Therrell High School students were victims of an off-campus shooting. The students were transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Atlanta Police Department (APD) is investigating this matter. APS counselors will be on campus tomorrow to support our students, faculty and staff members. As a safety precaution, APS and APD will provide extra campus security, and students at Therrell will not be permitted to carry book bags or backpacks for the remainder of the school year.

Three people were shot near Therrell High in SW Atlanta on May 13, 2014.(Photo: 11Alive)